Author of the Month

Laura Amy Schlitz

Click here to read reviews of her books and learn more about her.

New Book Reviews from The Children's Bookstore Staff

A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home
written and illustrated by Henry Cole

A beautiful story in both words and pictures about a homeless mouse who befriends Audubon's apprentice.

Forever Friends
written and illustrated by Carin Berger

From the creator of The Little Yellow Leaf comes this elegantly designed story about the seasons and friendship. Bluebird and bunny become friends one day in spring. Their friendship develops through the seasons. Come winter, bluebird must fly south and leaves bunny with a promise to return in the spring. After a long winter apart, their friendship is renewed with the spring.

Cloud Tea Monkeys
written by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham; illustrated by Juan Wijngaard

While her mother works in the tea fields, Tashi plays with the monkeys. One day Tashi's mother falls ill and cannot go to work, Tashi tries to do her mother's job but she is too small and the overseer is cruel. The monkeys Tashi has befriended find her crying with her empty basket and they do something amazing for her. This traditionally inspired tale is beautifully told and illustrated.

The Agency Book 1: A Spy in the House
A Mary Quinn Mystery
written by Y.S. Lee

After being rescued from the gallows at the age of 12, Mary Quinn begins her education at Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. At 17, she joins the secret ranks of The Agency, a group of female spies for hire in Victorian England. Her first mission finds her infiltrating a rich merchant's household in an attempt to trace missing cargo ships. While the first half of this book is a well-written offering in the female Victorian spy/private detective style (think Sally Lockhart by Philip Pullman and Enola Holmes by Nancy Springer), it is in the second half of the novel that Y.S. Lee really exhibits her skills and her knowledge of the Victorian world.